Credit Cards » Credit Card Education

Credit Card Education

We have categories a collection of articles that contain a wide variety of free information and advice about credit cards and credit card related topics.

Please be advised that all advice and information collected is intended only to help consumers by providing information for credit card related financial decisions. We recommend that you seek out professional advice whenever making any type of financial decision.

Understanding Credit Card

  • Credit Card History - How much do you know about the History of Credit Cards? Here is your answer.
  • Choosing and Using Credit Cards - Chances are you`ve gotten your share of "pre-approved" credit card offers in the mail, some with low introductory rates and other perks. Many of these solicitations urge you to accept "before the offer expires." Before you accept, shop around to get the best deal.
  • Credit Card Dos and Don`ts - Read the most important Dos and Don`ts (rules) that you simply must know when the use of credit cards. Do you know that improper use of credit cards can negatively affect your credit rating?
  • Credit Card Tips - Protect yourself and your money.
  • How To Get The Best Credit Card Deal? - Before you sign-up on the next credit card application you receive in the mail, here are a few things you need to look for - otherwise you may not be getting quite the deal you thought.
  • How do I find information about credit cards? - Under federal law, all solicitations and applications for credit cards must include certain key information.
  • What is a FICO score? - A FICO score is a credit score developed by Fair Isaac & Co. Credit scoring is a method of determining the likelihood that credit users will pay their bills.
  • How is your credit? - Detailed explaination of the credit level - Excellect, Good, Fair and Bad Credit. It is important to know which credit level you are at now.
  • What are the APRs? - The annual percentage rate--APR--is the way of stating the interest rate you will pay if you carry over a balance, take out a cash advance, or transfer a balance from another card. The APR states the interest rate as a yearly rate.
  • How long is the grace period? - The grace period is the number of days you have to pay your bill in full without triggering a finance charge.
  • What are the Credit Card fees? - Most credit cards charge fees under certain circumstances.
  • What are your liability limits? - If your credit card is lost or stolen--and then is used by someone without your permission--you do not have to pay more than $50 of those charges.
  • What can you do about billing errors? - If there is an error, you will not have to pay any finance charges on the disputed amount. Your account must be corrected.
  • What if the item you purchase is damaged? - The federal Fair Credit Billing Act allows you to withhold payment on any damaged or poor-quality goods or services purchased with a credit card
  • How is the finance charge calculated? - The finance charge is the dollar amount you pay to use credit. The amount depends in part on your outstanding balance and the APR.
  • How do late payments affect me? - How late is your payment? If you are less than 30 days late the incident probably won`t show up on your credit report.
  • Understand the types of Credit Cards - What kind of card is it, Secured cards, Regular cards, or Premium cards?
  • Credit Cards with Special Features - Before you sign up to pay for any of these features, think carefully about whether it will be useful for you. Don’t pay for something you don’t want or don’t need.

Credit Management

  • Five Hot Tips To Get Out Of Debt Forever - This is a simple five step plan that anyone can implement today to begin banishing bad debt from their lives forever and that will allow them to begin taking back control of their own personal happiness.
  • Five Tips To Reduce Your Credit Card Bills - Outstanding credit card balances can get the better of you if you don’t keep them under control.  Here are five essential tips for reducing the amount you owe.
  • What Your Credit Report Says About You - A credit report is a record of your credit activities. It lists any credit-card accounts or loans you may have, the balances, and how regularly you make your payments. It also shows if any action has been taken against you because of unpaid bills.
  • How to Establish, Use, and Protect Your Credit - Good credit is valuable. Having the ability to borrow funds allows us to buy things we would otherwise have to save for years to afford: homes, cars, a college education.
  • Your Consumer Rights - To find out how laws protect you
  • Pay Off Credit Card or Other High Interest Debt - If you owe money on your credit cards, the wisest thing you can do is pay off the balance in full as quickly as possible. Once you’ve paid off your credit cards, you can budget your money and begin to save and invest.
  • Avoiding Credit and Charge Card Fraud - Credit and charge card fraud costs cardholders and issuers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. While theft is the most obvious form of fraud, it can occur in other ways.

Poor / No Credit & Credit Repair

  • The Cost of Poor Credit - Bad credit? No credit? No problem. You hear lenders saying it all the time but who’s really paying the price? You!
  • How to Quickly Boost Your Credit Rating - With a little bit of time, patience and persistence, you can rapidly boost your credit score 25, 50, or even 100 points.
  • Credit Repair: Self Help May Be Best - You see the advertisements in newspapers, on TV, and on the Internet. You hear them on the radio. You get fliers in the mail. You may even get calls from telemarketers offering credit repair services. Do yourself a favor and save some money.
  • You Can Repair Your Credit - A credit score influences the credit that’s available to you and the terms that lenders offer you. It is a vital part of your credit health. Scores range from 550 to 720.

0% Intro APR / Low Interest Cards

  • Advantages of a 0% Interest Credit Card - Like most people, you have probably received offers for credit cards with 0% annual percentage rate (APR). Although this may sound too good to be true, these credit card offers are genuine.

Balance Transfer / Debt Consolidation

  • Directions to Reduce Credit Card Debt - Paying only the minimum on a credit card debt, only results paying a substantially higher total amount owed. There are many directions that can be taken to reduce the debt and substantially lower the interest rate.
  • Repair Your Credit, Consolidate Debt Now! - You can make your debt easier to pay by consolidating
  • What is a balance transfer? - In the most basic terms, a balance transfer is a way of moving a debt from one credit card to another credit card.
  • What is debt consolidation? - Debt consolidation is a process whereby a consumer takes out a loan or other credit agreement in order to pay off two or more existing debts.
  • The pros and cons of debt consolidation - Many consumers benefit from consolidating their debts on better terms. The potential advantages of debt consolidation over multiple credit agreements include lower interest rates, lower monthly payments and having to deal with only one creditor.

Cash Back Cards / Reward Programs

  • What is a Cash Back credit card? - Cash Back credit cards give cash rewards to cardholders for making purchases with the card. A cardholder accumulates cash rewards based on the dollar amount of his/her purchases with that particular credit card over a period of time.

Airline Miles Reward Programs

  • Frequent Flyer Miles - Credit cards have become the most popular way of collecting airline miles, but you should be sure the terms of the credit card fit your needs. 

Student Credit Education

  • What should a college student know about credit cards? - Before you start using a student card, decide what it will be used for. Remember that a credit card limit is not free money. It is a loan that you must repay.
  • Credit Cards for Students - For most university students, credit cards aren’t high on their priority list for things to take care of - after all, students with loans can pay for things with direct debit from their bank accounts, as can students that are being assisted financially by their parents.

Business Credit Cards

Prepaid Debit Card